You will be surprised how the common and obvious driving distraction can increase your car insurance premiums. Your first accident will raise insurance rates by about 22 while the first ticket will boost them 13% higher. It’s a fact. And most drivers know that the most common reason for having trouble behind the wheel is being distracted.

And what are the most common distractions for a driver?

Eating, talking or using your phone are the most common distraction that take your eyes of the road and lead to crashes or near-miss situations. Most US drivers admit using their cell phones while driving and nearly 20% even manage to write text message while behind the wheel. This leads to the statistics, where about 45% percent of car owners who experienced an accident tell that either of the parties involved was using a cell phone during the crash. Continue reading →

The car you own determines to a large extent the premiums you will have to pay for insuring it. Of course, your claims history, driving and credit records, your age, sex and location will also influence the rates, but not to the extent of your actual vehicle. You can make everything you can to improve the other factors but if your car is expensive to insure on its own, don’t expect to have low rates on it. Continue reading →